Director of Business Development - Unmanned Systems

Job Description

Job Description

Director of Business Development – UAS | Autonomy & Flight Control

Los Angeles / Hawthorne, CA · Hybrid · Up to 30% travel

ABOUT THE COMPANY

A private, 100% employee-owned (ESOP) engineering consulting and product development company with a 60+ year legacy of delivering safety-critical solutions to government and commercial customers. The company combines the agility and culture of a startup with the stability and credibility of a longstanding aerospace innovator, and its growth plans are ambitious — every employee plays a direct role in shaping what's next. The company looks for true business partners — people who value transparency, collaboration, technical excellence, ownership, and accountability. If you enjoy solving complex, real-world problems and want your work to have visible impact, you'll thrive here.

THE OPPORTUNITY

We are seeking a Director of Business Development to drive growth specifically in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), with a focus on flight control systems, autopilots, guidance, navigation, and autonomy-enabled products. This role is tightly focused on building funded development programs and scalable commercial products around the company's core flight control and autonomy capabilities, and carries a significant government-relations component. Candidates with a strong government-interactions background are strongly preferred.

Success looks like diversifying how the company generates funded revenue: new contract vehicles (Phase III, OTA, IDIQ, sole-source), commercial product and licensing revenue, and direct relationships with government and commercial customers. Smaller, recurring wins in new areas count just as much as a single large award — the goal is expanding the company's reach and connection to the customer, not just growing what's already in motion.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

●     Drive new UAS business centered on flight control, autopilot, and autonomy software and hardware development

●     Lead the transition of existing SBIR/STTR-funded autonomy and flight control technologies into Phase III and non-SBIR contract vehicles, including sole-source awards, IDIQs, OTAs, BOAs, and FAR-based contracts

●     Identify and pursue commercial product, licensing, and recurring revenue opportunities for UAS flight control and autonomy solutions

●     Identify key strategic and ecosystem partners to support go-to-market strategy

●     Shape customer requirements and concepts of operations into executable development programs and product roadmaps

●     Own and grow the sales pipeline for flight control and autonomy products and services, with clear pipeline growth and conversion metrics

●     Build and maintain relationships with DoD program offices, autonomy leads, primes, integrators, and commercial UAS manufacturers

●     Lead capture activities, including solution shaping, teaming strategy, pricing inputs, and proposal development

●     Partner closely with technical leadership to ensure development efforts align with productization, scalability, and long-term reuse

●     Represent the company at UAS-focused conferences, industry days, and technical forums

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

●     5+ years of business development, capture, or program growth experience in UAS, defense, or aerospace markets

●     Existing contacts and relationships with government program staff who can engage on R&D and technology transfer projects

●     Demonstrated success transitioning early-stage development efforts (including SBIR/STTR) into Phase III, follow-on, or non-SBIR contract vehicles

●     Proven ability to drive funded development programs and commercial product opportunities through customer engagement, capture strategy, and contracting execution

●     Strong customer-facing skills, including executive-level briefings, relationship management, and negotiation

●     Experience working with DoD program offices, primes, integrators, and/or commercial UAS manufacturers

●     Ability to partner effectively with highly technical engineering teams without requiring hands-on technical expertise

●     Strong written and verbal communication skills

●     Active Secret security clearance (minimum)

Preferred

●     Pilot, instructor, or operational aviation experience

●     Experience in UAS, eVTOL, AAM, or UAM markets

●     Experience working with small, growth-oriented, employee-owned companies

●     Desire to contribute directly to aggressive growth targets and long-term company value creation

●     Direct experience or existing relationships supporting STRATFI/TACFI or similar SBIR/STTR Phase II-to-Phase III matching-funds transitions

COMPENSATION & LOGISTICS

●     Base salary: $150,000–$185,000 (DOE), plus performance-based incentives/commission tied directly to transitioned non-SBIR government contracts (Phase III, IDIQ task orders, sole-source awards) and commercial UAS product revenue

●     Total on-target earnings (OTE): $190,000–$240,000+, with upside driven by transitioned revenue and product commercialization

●     Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)

●     401(k) Safe Harbor plan with company contribution

●     100% company-paid medical (HMO) for employees and dependents; dental and vision coverage

●     FSA / Dependent Care, Life and Long-Term Disability insurance, Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

●     Domestic travel up to 30%

●     Must qualify as a U.S. Person under ITAR/EAR (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident not affiliated with a foreign company/government, or political asylee)